.

MundoAndino Home : Chile Guide at Mundo Andino

San Antonio, Chile


San Antonio ("Saint Anthony") is a major Chilean port and a commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaiso Region. It is the capital of the Province of San Antonio, within Region V of Chile, and is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena.

Geography

The city lies on hills and coastal dunes, immediately north of the mouth of the Maipo river and is crossed in two sections by estuaries, of Arevalo to the north and of El Sauce in the section of Llolleo.

The city is located at 33 35' South and 71 37' West. It is bordered on the north by the commune of Cartagena; on the east, by the commune of Melipilla (ciudad) and the river Maipo; on the south, by the same river and by the communes of Santo Domingo and San Pedro; and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean .

It comprises an area of 502.5 square kilometers.

Climate

San Antonio enjoys a mediterranean climate with coastal influences. The average annual temperature is 14 C . Annual precipitation of 570 millimeters is concentrated in June, with an average of 134 mm.

History

Nomadic hunters and gatherers were the first inhabitants of Chilean territory. In this central coastal zone are evidences of ancient habitation extending back about thirteen thousand years.

The city was 80% destroyed by the 1985 Chile earthquake.

The port of San Antonio was shut down by the 27 February 2010 earthquake, but had resumed operation at 80% capacity by 3 March 2010. Bloomberg News, "Chiles San Antonio Port Returns to 80% Capacity", Rodrigo Orihuela, James Attwood, 3 March 2010 (accessed 4 March 2010) After the quake, only 5 of the 8 docking points at the port resumed operation. Latin American Herald Tribune, "Chilean Port City Gets Back to Work after Quake", EFE, 9 March 2010 (accessed 9 March 2010)

Demography

According to data collected in the census of 2002 by the Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas (National Institute of Statistics), the commune of San Antonio then had an area of 405 square kilometers and a population of 87,205. Of these, 44,362 were female and 42,843 were male.

Governmental Administration

San Antonio forms part of the 15th and 6th Electoral Divisions ("Fifth Coast") in elections to the Senate of Chile; the current senators are Nelson Avila (of the Radical Social Democratic Party) and Jorge Arancibia (Independent Democratic Union). It is represented in the lower house of the National Congress of Chile, the Chamber of Deputies, by Edmundo Eluchans (Independent Democratic Union and Samuel Venegas (Radical Social Democratic Party.

The Illustrious Municipality of San Antonio itself is headed by the alcalde ("mayor"), Omar Vera, who is advised by six councillors:

Pedro Pina (of the Communist Party of Chile)

Ramon Silva (Christian Democratic Party of Chile)

Danilo Rojas (National Renewal)

Fernando Nunez (Socialist Party of Chile)

Jose Martinez

Omar Morales (Radical Social Democratic Party)

Culture

San Antonio was the site chosen by the writer Cristian Berrios as setting of the story Flores mustias (wilted flowers).

References

Sources

Citations

Didn't find what you were looking for.
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Capitals of Chilean provinces or help others to find answers.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article San Antonio, Chile


Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - 2009